The Homeless In Penn Station

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SOC 280 Aug. 2, 2010 The Homeless in Penn Station Mitchell Duneier’s book, Sidewalk, depicts the multifaceted society of the street vendors in Greenwich Village. After spending over five years observing the street vendors, Duneier gives the reader an insightful perspective on the contradictions between the stereotypes they have developed as dangerous people, and their contribution to the order and well being of the neighborhood. When Duneier narrates the anecdote about Penn Station, he exposes why the homeless have gathered there, and how the policies aimed at displacing homeless people in Penn Station worked. Duneier’s ideas on the habitats are useful because it helps to understand where and why homeless people locate. To an unhoused individual, Penn Station offered all the basic amenities that are necessary for survival. Penn Station was a place where the homeless could find free food, a place to sleep, a place to make money, a shelter from the weather, and a place where transportation lines converged (Duneier 1999: 143-144). These qualities made it a sustaining habitat. It was important that this habitat was located in a heavily populated area because the unhoused individuals relied on people to donate money and buy items from them. Duneier states that, “each day… two hundred thousand commuters made intensive use of a single space” (Duneier 1999: 123). With so many people gathering in one location, the homeless people used Penn Station as a place to make money by selling things, panhandling, providing service, and gathering recyclables. Free food was another important benefit that Penn Station provided. The station had restaurants, many of which donated their food to the homeless (Duneier 1999: 124). Randy remarked that, “they used to put the bags outside and everybody would be scuffling for the food” (Duneier 1999: 125). This meant that clean, fresh

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